The joy of travelling solo

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I was 24 when I first travelled alone. There were two parts to this trip — first where I spent a long weekend with some of my colleagues at Goa (which was good, gave me the initial burst of confidence) and the second was me deciding to stay back for an extra couple of days alone to just relax and enjoy the break.

I didn’t know what to do or expect. Hadn’t planned anything. No itinerary. And it was perfect. I walked around the city — old and new, visited beaches and sat on shore, tried different food and lots of sweet lime soda.

Off-road Goa

What stuck with me the most was the walking part, particularly to my new accommodation — the 10km walk with the twists and turns, highways and forests, residential areas and farms, even being part of a Holi celebration along the way (not as voluntary I might add). This was an eye opener. It was a reminder to self that let’s not take life so seriously that we don’t stop and appreciate the world around us.

Fast forward 5 years, I have travelled to Gangtok, Kolkata (for the first time, despite being a Bengali), a month long backpacking around Europe in 2016 (Paris, Munich, Vienna, Prague, Berlin, Amsterdam), Kuala Lumpur, Kathmandu, Thimphu, Paro, back to Europe again in 2019— this time Zürich, Munich, Budapest, Warsaw, Brno, Bratislava, Ljubljana, Prague, Krakow.

Magical Prague

Okay, I’m a sucker for the the wonderful September/October weather in Europe, and more specifically central Europe — likes of Prague and Krakow. I mean, how could you not? Those cobbled roads, sumptuous meals and a place where only way to really explore the city is by walking.

Under the current circumstances (read COVID-19), travelling this year (for the last couple years actually) seems impossible. But that doesn’t change how much I love to travel alone.

So here is why I still like travelling solo — and why (some of) you might enjoy as well. What’s better than reminiscing over land far away when you can’t free move around in these times.

Solitude

There is something magical about being alone 😊️, in a place far away from your home and where nobody knows you. Some people I know and have come across find this depressing or boring, but for me it is the time when I’m really really me.

I am able to find time to journal everyday, go for long walks, eat (and sometimes cook) good food, spend some time reading books and just sit down in a café for a morning coffee and just be still.

“A man can be himself only so long as he is alone, and if he does not love solitude, he will not love freedom, for it is only when he is alone that he is really free”

— Arthur Schopenhauer

Photo by Rakicevic Nenad from Pexels

Self discovery

While travelling solo is not something I consciously sought with the purpose of building my self discovery, it was meant to be a break away from the norm, it did turn into an exercise which helped a lot in learning more about myself — what motivates me, what are things that I value, and find my inner voice. In a lot of ways, it helped me grow in self confidence as well. Going about in a foreign land, with nothing but a map (Google Maps) and a battery pack and no common language for most parts — it does put things in perspective. What we think or worry about is a tiny speck in the ocean that is this world. We can only control our actions.

Appreciation of diversity

It helped me appreciate the beautiful mish mash diversity and similarity in us humans across the world. As different we all might look, speak, sound or act, we are all driven by the same things. While I know this is either a privilege or luck, but I haven’t felt unsafe, uncomfortable or unwelcomed in any of the places I’ve been to. People are good by nature and they, more often than not, try to help others. I deeply cherish the wonderful acts of kindness that I witnessed along these travels (and otherwise too, of course).

Weather

I like cold place. I mean, Single digit Celsius cold 🧊. Maybe it is the humid Mumbai weather which turned me into this, or maybe it was my self-conditioning to prefer drinking cold water over room temperature for over two decades 😂. Now you if you look at the places I have been to (outside of places I have called home), you can see a pattern there.

On the way back from Nathu La, Sikkim

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Don’t overthink

If you can, try a weekend getaway or two — just book a room in a nearby coastal town or a hill station, carry a book, a change of clothes and you are sorted. Just don’t get too caught up in the planning side of holidays. It took me almost year and a half of the pandemic to recognize it and do something about it.

Happy adventures and stay safe!